Sunset: attempt to break rule of thirds

[S_Sanyal]

Gear: D90 w 18-200 lens
Exposure data: 40mm, f/14, 1/15 s, ISO 100; levels adjusted in lightroom.

Is this well composed? Breaking rule of thirds wasnt done deliberately but with all elements this seems to work best for me, with respect to depth from shore foreground to trees to horizon, sought through high DoF. do you agree?

Also are the levels ok, or is the image too dark?

Any other feedback is welcome.

Thanks in advance.
S

[Aleix]

Beautiful picture! The good news is, you broke a rule to meet another one. Actually you composed it well but not according to the rule of thirds, but to the golden section (which is similar):



See here for more info:
Rules of photo composition

[nikki florie]

Hi,

I'm very new at photography so I don't really have anything specific but I just wanted to tell you that I really love the photo.

I think the darkness is fine and I love the bright orange colours.

[LeeR]

The best thing about this image is the way the curve of the shoreline is mimiced in the bright areas of the sky. From an artistic point, that is very big deal. However, I have a couple of other issues that I think you can take care of.
First, the purpose of the rule of thirds is to encourage us to keep the subject of our images out of the middle where it is weak and ineffective. Fibonacci will have to wait, your image will certainly be stronger if you move the horizon closer to the third and the easiest way to do that is to crop a bit off the bottom. Just don't lose too much of that important curve.
Second, your image is way over saturated. I love bright bold colors as much as anybody, but this is a bit much. Ansel Adams used to say, "I change it until it looks good, then back a little." Good advice for all of us.

[Aleix]

Originally Posted by LeeR

Ansel Adams used to say, "I change it until it looks good, then back a little." Good advice for all of us.

Good one! noted

[ckodonne]

This is really a fantastic shot. The curve and the tree line just bring it all together nicely and sets it apart from other images. The contrast and colour make it a striking image so I wouldn't change that, nor brighten it. If anything, back off the saturation a bit, but I don't think that's totally needed unless you start blowing highlights.

I would love to see this as a square crop though, with about 2/3rds of the sky gone. It doesn't do much for the photo except balance it a bit, but it's rather unbalanced to me. Either that, or do what Lee suggested and cut out a tad of the foreground.

Either way, great image!

[S_Sanyal]

Thanks everyone for your appreciation and feedback.

Lee, I tried out your suggestions, although very subtly, especially with the cropping as I feel a bit possessive about the curve exiting the picture through the corner of the frame. This is the result, I'm quite happy with it; somehow the tiny bit of tweaking make sit stronger yet realistic!

The only thing I'm still at a loss for is: is it better is the tripartite line passes through the tongue of the curve or the distant horizon? In my original post it was the former.
Please let me know if this is better.Thanks.

[LeeR]

I was always told that we didn't want things coming out of the corners so I think the crop, though minor, is an improvement as is the reduction in saturation. I think you have a very strong image here. I would suggest you try ckodonne's idea of a square crop. It would mean losing a bit more of your curve, but I tried it and I really like it but you may feel differently. Either way, this is a winner.

[Michael_2010]

I really like the capture. It causes me to stop and take a second look and that is, in large part, due to the strong contrasting colors. It's a winner in my opinion.